Robert Lewandowski refuses to play for Poland after being stripped of captaincy

Robert Lewandowski said he will not play for Poland again under the current manager, shortly after the striker was stripped of the captaincy role.

Poland boss Michal Probierz made the decision to replace Lewandowski as national team captain with midfielder Piotr Zielinski.

"By decision of coach Michal Probierz, Piotr Zielinski became the new captain of the Polish national team," a Polish football federation (PZPN) statement said.

"The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the training staff of his decision."

Lewandowski's response via social media was swift.

"Considering the circumstances and the loss of trust in the Polish national team coach, I have decided to step back from playing for the Polish national team as long as he remains the coach," Lewandowski said.

"I hope I will have the chance to play again for the best fans in the world."

Lewandowski is not with the current Poland squad, with the Barcelona player citing physical and mental exhaustion after a long season as the reason for his absence.

The 36-year-old is Poland's highest goal scorer with 85 goals for his country in a record 158 appearances, and had held the captaincy since 2014.

Probierz replaced the sacked Fernando Santos as Poland manager in 2023, taking them to Euro 2024 where his side were the first team to be eliminated.

The PZPN said Probierz will respond to questions on the situation in a press conference on Monday.

Poland defeated Moldova 2-0 in a friendly on Friday and are away to Finland in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN

Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices

Try for free

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN

Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices

Try for free

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Reuters